


"A Tiny Bit"

by lunasmena



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Cute Ending, F/M, Fluff, JUST GOOD KAIDER, post-cress fluff, ultimate cuteness, you have to trust me on that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29449434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunasmena/pseuds/lunasmena
Summary: Yesterday the crew had succeeded in stopping the royal wedding. While having a conversation with Kai, Cinder realizes that if she really wants him to trust her, she must tell him everything, even if telling him everything meant admitting to something she had tried to hide for a long time.
Relationships: Kai & Linh Cinder, Kai/Linh Cinder
Kudos: 19





	"A Tiny Bit"

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ! This has been posted on my tumblr (@cindersassasin) for about a month, but I recently got AO3 and decided to post it here ! This is set a day after the ending of Cress (: enjoy !

**Cinder had been sitting on the cold floor of the cargo bay for the past two** hours. Frustrated at her inability to come up with the remaining details of their plan, she began to reach for her left arm to toy around with her glove, before remembering that she had left them in the pod ship dock the day before. She was yet to get accustomed to not wearing them full-time, and the sudden dependency on them was starting to get on her nerves. Cinder assumed that her attachment to the gloves was due to the many years she relied on them to hide herself. They naturally became a part of her, a coat of protection against the people who would defy her for being cyborg.

It was ironic that the same thing that had given her a sense of protection, had also given her a constant reminder: she was not normal, and should she reveal her true identity to the world, she would not be accepted. 

But Cinder no longer had a reason to hide herself. There was no reason for her to panic whenever she caught a glimpse of her metal hand from the corner of her eye. She _shouldn’t_ be relying on her gloves anymore. 

Nevertheless, her work gloves had become a big part of her over the years, whether she liked it or not. It was not surprising she had developed that minor habit. Cinder most often toyed with the hem of her glove when she was nervous or stressed, and that’s _exactly_ how she felt at the moment. Nervous of the outcome should their plan to start a revolution fails. Stressed about not being entirely sure how that plan _looks_ like.

Cinder stood up from the floor and paced around the cargo bay, letting out shallow breaths to ease her distress. She had to be _positive_. Everything has been going according to plan so far, and even if they find themselves encountering a few obstacles, they always end up succeeding. 

But staying _positive_ was not an easy task when she remembered that Levana was still out there. That her army was out there.

“I was looking for you.”

Cinder looked over her shoulder and felt her heart skipping when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

It was Kai.

He was still wearing the same clothing from the day before. A quick glance at his wrinkled finery and messy black hair was enough for all her memories to flood right back. The brief argument they have had after Kai awoke aboard the Rampion. The shocked expression that grew on Kai’s face when she confessed to being the lost princess. The air of relief that engulfed him knowing that she was safe. The way his coppery eyes dilated as he took her in. The way his lips met hers with not a single sign of disgust or restraint.

The kiss had been so peculiar yet almost natural, despite having never being kissed before. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity and comfort when being cradled against him. It terrified her.

Gaining back conscience, she soon realized that she had been staring at him this whole time. He had been staring right back. 

Cinder walked towards him and released an awkward chuckle, hoping to release the ongoing tension. She tucked her hands in her pockets in attempt to hide the sudden fluster that was crawling under her skin.

“You were?”

“Yeah. I just needed to talk to someone.”

“Well,” Cinder assured, “Here I am.”

He grinned. Even though his smiles never failed to make her insides stir, his eyes seemed to be portraying something totally different. Until then, she had not noticed the sadness they contained or the darker shade under his eyes. “Hey…are you…okay?”

His expression faltered and she soon regretted saying anything. Before she could apologize, though, he let out a small sigh and glanced down at the floor. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just processing.”

Kai suddenly jogged her memory and guilt submerged her. Cinder felt selfish for forgetting about the huge bomb they had dropped on Kai that morning. She grimaced as she recalled the growing fury on his face when they had told him what Dr. Erland had discovered concerning Letumosis. He had suspected that Levana had kept the antidote from him for a long time, but he had not expected her to have had it for years. To have had been developing it before the disease even _existed_. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t have to apologize. It was just hard to process. But now it all makes sense,” he responded, meeting her gaze. “She’s a monster. I don’t know how she does it, Cinder.”

“I honestly don’t even know how she can live with herself.”

Kai looked as if he was about to burst. “No wonder she hates mirrors.”

A hearty laugh escaped Cinder’s mouth and Kai did not hold back from joining in. The change of mood made that moment much more enjoyable and she was soon satisfied with making it last. Finally, they both put their hands over their mouths to compose themselves and silence engulfed them once again. Cinder bit her lip and looked away. “I just hope our plan to defeat her works.” 

Kai reached for her hand and chuckled. “I know it will work.”

She looked back at him in surprise. “How are you so sure? I haven’t even told you the whole plan.”

“ _Oh, please_. You always find a way to make things work. You have never failed to amaze me with all the crazy things you pull of.”

A weak smile touched Cinder’s lips before once again looking away. She was sure that he had meant that as a compliment, but somehow the thought of how powerful she was becoming made her feel like she was becoming more like Levana.

“Anyways, I actually wanted to… talk to you about something.”

Cinder met his gaze. “Oh?”

“Well, I was just thinking about…us,” he admitted.

She took her hand away from his grip, startled. “Us?”

Kai ran his fingers through his hair and looked away briefly. “I mean- what happened yesterday.” He hesitated, before continuing, “between us.” He held his hand toward her, and she didn’t hesitate to take it. “I was just so relieved to know that everything about you wasn’t a lie.” 

Cinder did her best to suppress the sudden giddiness forming inside her. It was something she had never felt before. She urged herself to stop, but the feeling persisted.

“Now that we have told each other everything,” Kai continued, “I hope we don’t find the need to keep anything else. Maybe we can even talk about, possibly-” he let out an awkward laugh, signs of his usual confidence lacking. “Being a- you know. Being a thing.” He bit his lip and ran his fingers through his hair before looking away. “Or not- you know. I mean, I might be getting the wrong-”

An almost maniacal laugh escaped Cinder’s lips. It had been so abrupt she felt like she nearly chocked on her own saliva. Even Kai was caught completely off-guard, as he looked back at her with troubled eyes and a shade of crimson growing on his cheeks. She was about to tease him about what a huge dork he was when he was flustered before her thoughts focused on something Kai had just said. 

_“Now that we have told each other everything, I hope we don’t find the need to keep anything else.”_

The truth was, she hadn’t told him _everything_ \- she had never been direct with him about her feelings toward him. Cinder never thought she _had to_ , but if she wanted him to trust her, she had to confess to that one secret. That one secret that she had always assumed was just a crazy fantasy she had fabricated in her head. 

She turned away from him and walked towards the window, catching a glimpse of the blue planet. “Do you remember when we promised each other that there would be no more secrets between us? And that if I had anything to tell you- I would?”

“I do…why?”

She let out a heavy sigh and hesitated. “It’s just, there is this one thing I didn’t tell you and I… don’t want to keep anymore secrets from you, that’s all,” she started, her eyes focusing on the look of concern that was growing on Kai’s face from the reflection. 

“What is it?”

Cinder bit the inside of her cheek as she turned around and walked towards him. She couldn’t help but glance at his lips before meeting his gaze once again. She tried to speak, but was unable to form the words in her mouth. She urged herself to simply confess to him all the love and admiration she had kept under wraps for too long, but her mouth was dry. No words seemed right. 

She wanted so badly to not have to say a thing, and to just run into his arms and be held. Hoping that with just that, he would understand. And he would.

But that’s not what he wanted. 

That’s not what he deserved. 

She had promised him that there would be no more secrets between them. And she would keep her word. 

“I think I might be a tiny bit in love with you,” she mumbled. She quickly glanced down at the floor, not wanting to see his expression. The subtle movement made her hair fall on her face, and hiding under it was somehow comforting. Almost reluctantly, she looked up at him once more, and under her curtain of hair, was met with the most affectionate smile she had ever seen. Before she could say anything, he brushed her bangs out of her face. Cupping one of her cheeks, he captured her eyes with the same warmth as the day they had met at the marketplace. Cinder felt a jolt of electricity expand throughout her body as he leaned in and pulled her into his embrace, wrapping one of his arms around her waist. 

And before Cinder could react, Kai was kissing her.

It was a kiss so soft and breathy, yet so passionate and filled with longing. It was almost like a dance, with his lips leading hers to the beat of a melody. The kiss was sweet, so effortlessly sweet, yet it was undeniably infused with yearning and lust. He lightly began to caress her cheek with his thumb as her arms instinctively found their way from his shoulders to around his neck. She discarded the warnings popping up in her vision and brought herself closer, fusing their bodies together. Kai broke the kiss and pulled away slightly, still holding her tightly around her waist, and met her gaze. Cinder felt his warm breath against her skin as it paralyzed her in place.

For a moment, she was speechless. This moment felt too…perfect.

It _was_ perfect. 

She realized that she could stay here, bottled up in his arms, forever. 

“Kai?”

“I think I might be a tiny bit in love with you too,” he said, with a tenderness in his voice that made her heart swoon. 

“Just a tiny bit?” She teased. 

She noticed Kai’s ears going pink as he rolled his eyes and then gave her a charismatic smile. “Just a tiny bit.”


End file.
